LOS ANGELES — On September 21 and October 5, respectively, the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) held walkathons in Watertown and Glendale. The pan-Armenian events, carrying the motto “unity and hope,” marked the 25th anniversary of the founding of ABMDR and benefited its life-saving mission.
Taking place in festive community atmospheres, both walkathons drew enthusiastic youth participation, with hundreds of students from schools and colleges in attendance. The events were also supported by organizations, businesses, and community leaders.
Major sponsors of the 13th annual Walk of Life New England included PROMETRIKA, LLC; the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; and the Armenian Women’s Welfare Association.
The opening ceremony of the walkathon took place on the grounds of the Charles Mosesian Center. The invocation was performed by Archpriest Antranig Baljian. Manneh Ghazarians of the Organizing Committee said, “We’re touched once again to see so many community organizations and individuals coming together today to participate and collaborate for this walkathon. We couldn’t do this without you!”
For their individual efforts in raising funds for the Walk of Life New England, Telo and Rubina Ghazarians, Sossy Yogurtian, and Miganush Stepanians were awarded the Gold, Silver, and Bronze fundraiser awards, respectively. It was also announced that for the 12th consecutive year, the Armenia Tree Project was to plant commemorative trees in Armenia in honor of the walkathon winners, as part of the #LivingCentury initiative.
In her closing remarks, Narini Badalian of the Organizing Committee said, “Funds raised through the walkathon go a long way in ensuring that ABMDR is able to continue to fulfill its mission, by educating the public, recruiting donors, and facilitating bone marrow stem cell transplants for patients throughout the world.”
